The track renovations at Mountain View high school are in full swing, as the new rubberized surface is in the midst of being installed.
Nagel Athletic Surfaces, out of Syracuse, N.Y., is currently in the process of applying the rubberized coating to the newly laid track.
Maintenance and grounds supervisor at Mountain View, Bob Taylor, said that the track and soccer field on the campus has been under reconstruction since May, with a projected completion date of the week of Aug. 16.
The rubberized coating on the track is essentially the icing on the cake, as it is the last step of the project before it is all finished.
According to Taylor, the rubber coat goes on in three different layers, which is topped off with a reddish coating.
“It’s going to take them about 10 days or so to put it all down,” Taylor said on Wednesday morning. “And after the rubber cures they will paint the lines on.”
According to Taylor, the process of putting in the new track is a meticulous one.
“PIAA measure to within a thousandth of an inch when it’s finished,” Taylor said. “In order for us to hold meets here, it needs to be perfect.”
Mountain View’s track renovation is its first major overhaul since the original track was built, and needed to be completed because the PIAA told the district the track wasn’t fit for league meets.
Before the rubber coating could be put on the track, literal tons of preparation work needed to be done.
The entire field was excavated and dug down eight inches, removing several tons of dirt.
After that, it was all put through a screen to extract the fine dirt, which was mixed with an organic compost, and sand to give the new field a smooth finish.
After that, a crew from Pikes Creek Contractors, the projects general contracting company, came in and laid down sod across the entire field.
On the outer ring of the field, a new drainage system was installed, where the field, which has a downhill pitch on each side, will drain, as will the track, which is pitched down toward the new drainage system.
After the field was finished, contactors paved the entire area of the track where the rubber coating would go, giving it a smooth base.
Taylor said that he cannot believe that it has only taken the contractors a few months to get all the work done.
“I can’t believe how quick its going,” Taylor said.
He said that the renovations will significantly improve athletics in the district.
“The old field was all over the place,” Taylor said. “The field is bigger and more level now.”
The soccer field was extended out to 215-feet by 350-feet.
Taylor also said on Wednesday that during the project, piping was laid underneath the field in case the district decided to add stadium lights at a later date.
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